http://markafman.com Delivering your long-term mortgage needs with professionalism and integrity. Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:10:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en If you are anything like me, it takes awhile to learn something. I'm not the quickest guy around but I like to think that when I learn something, it sticks. When it came to learning about what it takes to succeed (which, by the way, is nowhere near over) I ... http://markafman.com/2010/07/14/so-whos-in-charge-here/% You may have heard that since the tax credit went away, home sales nationwide have dropped by quite a bit. Not really a surprise because any time you artificially stimulate a market, there has to be a vacuum left after the stimulus is over. If you are thinking if buying a ... http://markafman.com/2010/06/27/va-loan-refresher-and-tax-return-issue/% Mortgage Insurance...It strikes fear in the heart of most home buyers, or at the very least it makes them angry. I have yet to have anyone say to me that they are happy that they have to pay a chunk of extra money in the house payment just because they don't ... http://markafman.com/2010/06/22/mortgage-insurance-a-necessary-evil/% So now that we know what is going on with Erin Toll Glover (hint: she is not becoming a mortgage broker or an appraiser), we can concentrate on what to do this weekend. I know, I know...I usually write on Mortgage and Real Estate issues but after this week I need ... http://markafman.com/2010/06/04/a-few-ideas-for-the-weekend/% Now that the tax credit has expired (except for military personal), many in the real estate industry are asking themselves where is the market going? There has been some great information put out in the last few days that may give us a clue. On John Rebchooks blog www.insiderealestatenews.com (sponsored ... http://markafman.com/2010/05/13/what-is-selling-and-what-is-not/% My wife was watching TLC this weekend and she asked if construction loans were really that tough to do. It turns out that there was one of those shows on that feature first time buyers and their trails and tribulations on finding a home. This particular episode featured a young ... http://markafman.com/2010/05/02/203k-loan-refresher/% HVCC is the Home Valuation Code of Conduct. This was put into place by the Attorney General of the State of New York and adopted by Fanie Mae and Freddie Mac and then eventually by the entire lending industry. It's not really a government law bu it is binding to ... http://markafman.com/2010/04/15/hvcc-good-idea-or-bad-idea/% I would like to invite you, to listen to the radio this Saturday, April 10 at 10am. I have been asked to be a guest on the Real Estate talk show called Fix Up With Steven and Matina. Steven and Matina are with Ridgemoor Homebuyers and host a weekly radio ... http://markafman.com/2010/04/09/learn-about-mortgage-loans-on-the-radio-and-realtor-rally/% I have a nice, young, first time buyer couple that has done everything right but the seller that they thought they went under contract with did not actually own the property. We are 4 days from closing and the "seller" has been very evasive about the chain of title and it finally ... http://markafman.com/2010/04/06/please-check-your-chain-of-title/% If you keep your nose to the Real Estate grindstone you have heard of the neighborhood called Platt Park. This is roughly bound by Broadway to Downing and I-25 to Evans. It's called that because of a very nice park on Logan between Iowa and Florida here in South Denver ... http://markafman.com/2010/03/30/platte-park/%